Numerous medical devices have been developed for the delivery of therapeutic agents to the body. In accordance with some delivery strategies, a therapeutic agent is provided within a polymeric matrix that is associated with an implantable or insertable medical device. Once the medical device is placed at the desired location within a patient, the therapeutic agent is released from the polymeric matrix.
Various techniques, including thermoplastic processing techniques, have been used for the manufacture of medical devices for the delivery of therapeutic agents to the body. However, many therapeutic agents are unstable under the processing conditions associated with such techniques. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for processing techniques that do not result in substantial degradation of the therapeutic agents, particularly those having low stability.
Numerous medical devices have also been developed for implantation or insertion into patients, which do not necessarily contain a therapeutic agent. Unfortunately, many such medical devices are commonly associated with some degree of patient discomfort or pain after being positioned within the patient. As a specific example, EVA based ureteral stents are widely used to facilitate drainage in the upper urinary tract (e.g., from the kidney to the bladder), for example, following ureteroscopy, endourerotomies, and endopyelotomy for ureteral strictures, as well as in other instances where ureteral obstruction may occur. However, such stents are typically associated with pain and discomfort in the bladder and flank area after insertion. At present, one way by which pain and discomfort are minimized is to orally administer drugs to the patient. To date the most commonly prescribed oral drugs are opioid analgesia, which are controlled substances and have the potential for abuse by patients.